Book Eighty-Three: Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge

by Grace Young



                                        Stir-Fried Garlic Spinach



This post is a two-for-one for me. One more book I get to check off my list (though I just purchased it) and my first post of many from this book for I signed up for another on-line cooking group.

I am looking forward to cooking with the Wok Wednesdays group which is similar to the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group that I am in. We cook two recipes a month from the book and post as the name suggests, on the designated Wednesday. The host of the month posts the recipe. Look for future posts titled Wok Wednesdays.

The best part of this adventure is not only will my wok find a more permanent place on the cooktop rather than the back of the cupboard, but this is two dinners a month I don't have to worry about. That is the hardest part of cooking for me; figuring out what to make for dinner.

This is a wonderful book full of useful information; from how to season your wok to wonderful photos of ingredients and how they are prepared prior to stir-frying. I love that she uses everyday items, nothing out of the ordinary - none that I have come across anyway.

After reading about the different types of woks and their care, I am bummed that I have a stainless-steel wok rather than a carbon-steel one. The carbon-steel is lighter, has better heat conduction, and after time, develops its own non-stick surface. Oh well, c'est la vie.

There isn't much to say about the recipe itself, it has only four ingredients and cooks up in a flash! This was a fun recipe to start with. Though I did make the cashew chicken recipe first, the same day I bought the book. Look for that post in two weeks!

Success meter (1-3): 3

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Four simple ingredients:

Spinach, garlic, salt and sugar.

Not sure why my garlic looks pink in this photo.

We have a multicultural dinner going on here tonight.

Good ole American beef (bbq'd of course!),

Afghan bolani and Chinese stir-fry spinach!

(I've always been on the eccentric side.)

Visit Matt's page at Green Eats Blog for the recipe.

This is going to be a fun book to cook through. Why not purchase the book yourself and join in on the fun! You can purchase it here, or better yet, look for it at your local independent bookstore if available.

TWD: Lemon Loaf Cake

Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Norman Love

                             Lemon Loaf Cake

Unfortunately I have no Love for this loaf.

With a name like [Lemon] Loaf Cake, I expected a lot more lemon flavor. Citrus (mainly lemon) is one of my all-time favorite flavors for dessert; the other is chocolate.

Reviewing the recipe I was surprised there was no lemon juice, only zest added to the batter. I went on the advice of another baker and added juice of one lemon; for me this was about two tablespoons; and that of another baker, mixing the zest with the sugar before adding. I think this would work really well distributing the zest evenly if it was being creamed with other ingredients. In this case it was added to the eggs and cream which seemed futile.

Hearing that this recipe came out a bit boring and dry I wanted to make some adjustments. I had a hard time deciding which way I wanted to go, so I decided to make three mini loaves. To the master recipe I added some lemon juice as mentioned above. One loaf I left plain and made stewed berries to accompany it, another I injected with lemon curd (as I did here for the lemon cupcakes I made for a friend's birthday) and added a dusting of powdered sugar. Lastly I draped the final loaf with a lemon glaze I made of powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest.

I'm sad to say this is one I would not write home about and for me is not worth the fat and calories consumed. You may ask why I rated this a two rather than a one on the success meter. I feel this earns a two because it is an easy and quick recipe, and in general a good loaf with a very mild lemon flavor; and for some this may be what they want. Me, I need a more intense lemon flavor - one that wows.

Success meter (1-3): 2

I forgot to bring my ingredients to room temperature.

Hence soaking the eggs and cream in warm water.

I really like the idea of mixing the zest with the

sugar beforehand for most recipes, it was

unnecessary for this one.

Has the look of stained glass.

Just look at all the lemon zest!

Unfortunately it did not impart much flavor.

Need to get the lemon curd deeper into the loaf.



For the recipe see Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life, our hosts for the month; if you want to add to your cookbook collection (or start one !) you can buy the book at your local bookstore or on-line.

TWD: Irish Soda Bread

Contributing Baker: Marion Cunningham


                                          Irish Soda Bread

This week I am co-host of Tuesdays with Dorie along with Carla of Chocolate Moosey. One of the privileges of hosting is Carla & I get to post the recipe on our blogs. With such an easy recipe I was worried I would not have much to say ~ surprise!

The book states that this bread does not last past the day it is made. I whipped this up after getting home from a 12 mile hike; this is so easy you can whip it up quickly (only 4 ingredients!) and toss it into the oven to bake while you prepare dinner, and have fresh warm bread to go along with. This is also the perfect recipe if you have young kids around and want to boost there confidence in the kitchen.

I took an un-traditional route and added approximately 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese to the batter and after forming the ball and cutting an X into the top I sprinkled more cheese on top. The finished product resembled in flavor a biscuit and with the added cheese it was so good it was hard to stop eating, even though this bread is heavy and dense and fills you up quickly.

Being that there is only two of us, we were unable to eat the whole loaf though we had no problem devouring half of it. I tossed the other half into the freezer which I took out the very next day since the weather turned cold and I made chicken noodle soup for dinner. Dipping the bread into the broth made it taste like a dumpling ~ and I love dumplings.

I had half of a loaf plus two slices in the bag from the freezer. The slices I wrapped in a paper towel and put into the microwave for about 10-15 seconds and wrapped the rest in foil and heated it in a 375°F oven till warm. The bread tasted fine, as it did the following day sitting on the counter in a Ziploc bag - just a bit drier texture. I toasted up a slice to go with my morning coffee and it was delicious, better in fact! Toasted, this would be really good with scrambled eggs and a great canvas for leftover lekvar for those of you that made it from our previous recipe of rugelach.

There is something to be said about making your own bread; even the more time consuming yeast breads. The aroma while baking, and the warm, tasty goodness of fresh bread from the oven puts you in a state of overwhelming bliss.

Success meter (1-3): 3

The broth soaking into the bread gives it a dumpling like flavor.

Makes wonderful toast even three days later!

Crunchy outside ~ soft and chewy on the inside.

Do make sure to check out Carla's site for her experience with this bread and take a peek at the other bakers of our group; it just may inspire you to purchase a copy of Baking with Julia and bake along with us.

Book Seventy-Four: Giada's Family Dinners

by Giada De Laurentiis



                        Pepperoncini Shrimp 

After a bike ride I'm pretty much useless. My two hour ride turned into four hours because it was such a beautiful day and I just kept pedaling, enjoying near seventy degree weather before the rains begin.

I wanted something quick and effortless and this was just the ticket. Just a few ingredients and a quick sauté in the pan, and it's done. I threw together an arugula and raspberry salad and I had dinner on the table in no time.

Success meter (1-3): 3

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